Animorphs II - Where It All Began
by KayLyn666
Summary: We can't tell you who we are or where we live. It's too dangerous. What we can tell you, is that you're screwed. We all are, really. How can a small group of young adults save the world? How can we, of all people, be the heroes? Simple. One wrong turn changed our lives forever. And now, we're fighting to save yours. - AU, all characters are a lot older. Does not follow canon.
1. Chapter 1

_Summary -_ _We can't tell you who we are or where we live. It's too dangerous. What we can tell you, is that you're screwed. We all are, really. How can a small group of young adults save the world? How can we, of all people, be the heroes? Simple. One wrong turn changed our lives forever. And now, we're fighting to save yours._

_Author Notes - Disclaimer: I do not own Animorphs or any of it's original characters. Those belong to K.A. Applegate and co. I take no credit for those.  
Animorphs II - Where it all began is the first book in the multibook series, featuring the original Animorphs and several original characters - following them on their journeys, their battles and their war. However, unlike the original series, Animorphs II is more mature - adult based. The characters are all much older, and the story is far more graphic. I decided to take a chance with this one, since I haven't read the series in over 6 years. Anywho, here's the first chapter. _

_Note - Many of the Original Characters are going to be OOC, due to them being a lot older than they were in the original. Also, all Canon pairings are remaining, with the exception to Marco, who is paired with my OC. _

_Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. _

* * *

I can't tell you who we are. Or where we live. It's too risky. Too many people would love to see us dead. Too many people are waiting for the right chance to strike. What I can tell you is this. There's a war beginning on earth, a war like none you've ever learned about in history class, or read about in the news papers or online. A war so advanced, so outlandishly unbelievable, that even the higher powers of the world are unaware. Or they're part of it. We haven't figured that out yet. It's all too new to us. We live in a city, in a country, in some part of the world. You have to trust me on that. Because this is for your own good. All of this.

A week ago we were normal. We were just trying to find our place in the world. Now, we're fighting a war that is too complicated to explain.

All in due time, human. We'll explain it. If we live long enough.

* * *

"You're absolutely out of your mind," I huffed, pulling my hoodie tightly around my thin frame. I pushed a lock of hair out of my face, my eyes locking on Marco's. "There is no way you're getting me to try that on."

"Please?" he pouted. Something about him pouting made my heart melt. Nothing like a really cute guy pouting.

"Fine," I growled, snatching the ugly piece of clothing out of his hands. It was a week before senior prom, and Marco was determined to get me to dress up. I didn't understand the big deal, but apparently I lacked the sentimental gene.

It took me a minute to zip the pale blue dress up. I had to admit, it was sort of pretty. In a way too classy, way too expensive sense.

I stepped out of the dressing room and sighed, pulling my hair off my shoulder, wiggling against the scratchy tag.

"I like that," he nodded, pulling me over to the mirror.

"You're so gay," I muttered sourly. He smiled at that.

"I wouldn't be with you if I were," he teased.

"Shut up," I muttered.

"It brings out your eyes," he said softly, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"So does my black hoodie," I grumbled.

"C'mon, Kay, Rachel even got Tobias to go, you're going," he pushed, turning me so I was looking directly into his chocolate brown eyes. My heart melted. He knew all the right ways to convince me to do just about anything.

"So?" I huffed.

"_So_, for one night, you're going to dress up, and enjoy it," he said, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of my head. We were both short, but Marco had two inches on me. And rarely let me forget it.

"Fine," I pouted. "You owe me," I added as I went to change back into my comfortable clothes. I hated dress shopping. Normally Rachel would drag me through every possible store in the mall, twice, before letting me pick the darkest, cheapest dress I could find. And then she'd refuse to let me get it, even though it was coming out of my own pocket to begin with. It was refreshing to go with Marco for once, even though his knowledge of dresses and shoes was sort of scary.

_He's just pissed that I'm not all into prom like Rachel is, _I thought as I zipped my jeans. I grabbed the dress off the stool and unlocked the dressing room door. Sighing, I handed the dress to Marco, who had already picked out his tuxedo a week earlier. Hence why the dress _had_ to be sky blue. I wanted a nice, black dress. But of course, that wasn't going over.

* * *

"You let Marco pick your dress?" Rachel asked in amazement as she spun me around, forcing me to nearly fall flat on my face.

"It beat having to spend hours scooping the mall," I shrugged.

"I like it," Cassie said softly from her perch on the bed.

"Me too," offered Tobias. I felt myself blush. I couldn't figure out why Rachel was making such a big deal out of all this.

"It's just a dress," I sighed.

"No, it's your senior prom dress," Rachel said smugly. "And it's really beautiful, despite Marco's horrible choice in dresses. You look stunning," she said, smiling brightly. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders like a wave of amber flames. I smiled and shook my head.

"It's no big deal."

"It's senior prom!" Rachel cried out, as if I insulted her.

"So?"

"So, it's the last big get together before graduation. Don't you want to remember it the rest of your life?"

"Not really," I shrugged.

A year ago it would have mattered. It would have been a huge ordeal. But that all changed when my parents were killed in a house fire while I was away for two weeks during summer vacation. Now, nothing really mattered anymore. Rachel had a bad habit of forgetting that. Not like Cassie, who saw the look cross my face.

"It's going to be fun," she said softly, her hands tightly gripping mine. "You'll see."

"Whatever," I sighed. I walked into Rachel's bathroom and for the second time that day, changed back into my jeans. I stopped and looked at myself in the mirror. I couldn't believe how dark the circles were under my eyes. Sure, I had a lot of sleepless nights since the fire, but it's not like I didn't sleep. I was a lot thinner too. The last year had taken it's toll.

"Kay," a voice came from the other side of the door.

"Hmm?"

"Your brother's on the phone," Rachel's voice chimed.

"Okay," I sighed. I pulled the plastic around the dress before opening the door. Tobias was holding my cell phone, waiting for me to make my way across the room. Which wasn't easy, considering the amount of clothing and makeup sprawled out. Eventually, I made it safely to the other side of the bed.

"What's up?" I asked, sitting down on one of Rachel's beanbag chairs.

"Where are you?" my twin brother, Cody, asked. He sounded worried.

"Rachel's, why?" I asked.

"Do you have the car?" he asked, skipping my question.

"No, Marco does," I said. "He had to pick up a few things."

"Well call him and tell him to swing by the diner, I need a lift home," Cody demanded.

"We'll get you on the way back to the hotel, around 7, okay?" I offered. Cody and I had been staying at various hotels since the fire destroyed our house. More times than not, I spent the night with Marco, rather than cooped up in a musty hotel room.

"I need a ride now," Cody argued.

"The diner's only a few blocks away, want me to come get you? We can walk back to Rachel's and wait for him?" I was used to this from Cody. Ever since our parents died, he didn't like walking alone. Not since the police ruled it an arson. He was convinced that whoever set fire to the house, was going to find us.

"Okay..." Cody said doubtfully. "Don't walk alone."

"I won't, I think Jake's working today, isn't he?" I looked over at Cassie for my answer.

"He gets off in five," she nodded.

"Cody, I'll get Jake to walk with me, since the gas station's only two minutes away from the diner, okay?" I offered.

"The gas station's the long way," he argued. "Can't you get Tobias or someone to walk with you?"

"Cody, I'll be fine. I've walked a lot farther alone before," I said gently. "Trust me, I'll be okay."

"Kay, please," the tone in his voice made me stop dead. I pressed my eyes shut and nodded to myself.

"Okay. Okay, Cody. I'll try to convince Rachel to let me borrow Tobias, okay?" I threw a look at Rachel. She smiled widely, clearly, having a plan of her own.

"Okay. See you in 15 and a half minutes," Cody said before hanging up. Of course he had timed how long it would take.

"Your brother's still that worried?" Cassie asked, a troubled look crossing her face.

"Only when I don't have the car," I nodded, pulling on my shoes.

"We'll all go with you," Rachel said with a sly smile.

"Okay then?" I said tiredly. Between Cody and balancing school and track, I was beat. I hardly had time to keep my relationship with Marco from hitting the rocks. It was all beginning to take it's toll.

* * *

The walk was easy enough. We stopped at the gas station first, to get Jake, before heading directly to the diner, where Cody was pacing back and forth nervously. He looked up as soon as the little bell over the door rang. A look of relief crossed his face as soon as he saw me. Shaking my head, I waved him over.

"Marco's gonna meet us here. He's leaving the car at Rach's," I explained. "Said it's too nice out to spend the entire night in the car. Anyway, it only seats 5," I said with a shrug.

"Okay..." Cody looked even more fearful than normal.

"What's wrong kiddo?" I asked. Even though technically we were the same age, Cody was an hour younger than I was, and sometimes, it made all the difference.

"I just have a bad feeling," he muttered softly, so only I could hear it.

"Everything's going to be okay," I promised.

Little did I know how truly wrong I was.


	2. Chapter 2

"Your brother's jumpier than normal," Cassie said as she handed me a cup of coffee. I was sitting by the window, waiting for Marco to show up.

"I know," I sighed, shaking my head. "He's been getting worse."

"Have you considered...you know, committing him?" The question struck me like a ton of bricks.

"Cassie, I love you for being concerned, but I couldn't...Not in a million years," I sighed. "I can't really blame him. I guess I'm just not as effected, you know? Like it's not totally real?"

"You have Marco though. Who does Cody have?" she asked, sitting down across from me. I looked at her, a frown crossing my face.

"He has me," I said defensively. "Every single time he needs me, I'm there."

"I know, but-" I cut her off.

"But nothing. I've got this, Cassie, geez," I stood up angrily, leaving my coffee untouched. I stormed into the bathroom and turned the lock, leaning heavily against the door. Tears welled in my eyes as the last real memories of my parents filled my mind.

"_You'll be careful, right Kaylee?" my mother asked as she pulled me into her arms._

"_I promise. It's not like I'm going away forever," I smiled. "Tell Dad I'll call him when I get to the airport?"_

"_Of course," my mom nodded. I planted a kiss on her cheek before dangling the keys in front of my brother's face._

"_If you wreck my car while I'm away, I'll kill you," I teased._

"_I won't," he promised. "Take care of my dog, okay?" _

"_Our dog," I corrected. "And I will."_

"_Oh! Kaylee! Don't forget Mayhem's leash!" my mother called as she ran back up to me, a black nylon leash in her hands. I smiled and clipped the leash to our border collie's collar. _

"_Thanks, mom," I said as I got into the cab. "I'll see you in two weeks!"_

"_Be careful sweetheart!" my mom waved as we pulled away from the curb. _

That was the last time I ever saw my mother. The last time I felt her embrace. Heard her voice. Two days later, she was dead. My father too. Cody was with Jake when it happened. I'll never forget the sound of his voice when he called me at 2 in the morning on a Saturday.

"_K-Kaylee, it's Cody," he said, his voice trembling. I knew right away something was wrong. Call it what you will, but I think it's the whole twin thing. _

"_What's wrong Cody?" I asked tiredly. Mayhem looked up from her spot on the floor, her ears perked. _

"_T-there's been an accident..." Cody's voice broke. That was all I needed to hear. My heart sank as I crawled out of the queen bed, my hair tangled, my bare feet hitting the plush carpet with a silent thud._

"_What kind of accident?" I asked as I tossed my clothes into my suitcase. In the dark, the room lit only by the light of the moon, I packed my things, all while listening to my brother give me the heart breaking news._

"_There was a fire. I...I don't know what happened Kay. I was with Jake, we were trying to fix his car and...and..." a sob broke free from his chest, cutting him off. "Mom and dad..."_

"_No," I felt weak. I leaned heavily against the wall as he uttered two words that would haunt me the rest of my life._

"_They're dead."_

"Kay? Kaylee! Open the door!" a voice broke through my memories. Blinking, I reminded myself that I had to be strong, for my brother's sake. "Kaylee!" the voice on the other side of the door barked. It took me a minute to realize it was Jake. Of course it was. Afterall, who else would it be? Of course Cassie sent him to find me. She always did shit like that. Made it out like I was losing my mind.

"I'm fine," I replied, unlocking the door. I stepped away, turning to look into the mirror.

"You sure?" Jake asked cautiously.

"Yeah."

"Marco just showed up. We're just waiting on you," he said softly. I could tell, just by his tone, that he was worried. Naturally, that pissed me off, but in a way, it made me remember that I wasn't in this alone.

I wiped the tears from my face, once again grateful for Rachel's water-proof eyeliner, then walked out to meet up with the group. Cody gave me a funny look but said nothing as Marco wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Been crying again," he noted, touching my cheek.

"Shut up," I muttered, leaning into his warm embrace. We were definitely a mixed up bunch. That hit me harder than ever, as I watched the group file out of the diner.

Tobias was the quiet type. Almost too quiet. If he hadn't been dating Rachel, I'm not entirely sure we would have been friends. His sandy blonde hair and sad eyes almost made me think of a puppy. But he was a smart person, a lot smarter than most of us, anyway.

Cassie was our resident go to girl for anything animal related. I guess that happens when your parents are vets. She's a very insightful, down to earth type of person. We've been friends for years. I think we met when I was 8, when Cody and I found a litter of puppies dumped by the side of the road. Or maybe it was when we found the stray kitten. Anyway, we've known each other for the better part of our lives. She was the first person I went to after getting home after the fire.

Rachel was pretty. Really, really pretty. Super model pretty really. She had long, blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a way of looking beautiful no matter what she was going. If it wasn't for her amazing personality, we would never have clicked. Honestly, despite her good looks, she's not a snob. Really. And she's perfect for Tobias. She balances him out.

Then there's Jake. Jake is well...Jake. I've known him my entire life, thanks to us living only a few houses away from each other our entire lives. He's the jock, but without the stuck up attitude, I guess. I wouldn't be able to tell you really, I never really hung out with Jake before this past summer. He's Marco's and Cody's best friend though, so it's not like we're strangers. Plus, he's Cassie's boyfriend, so we're almost always stuck in the same room.

Cody's quiet too, but he never used to be. He used to be as outrageous as Marco, only a lot softer spoken. Marco's sarcastic and will tell you how it is, without really thinking first. Cody never speaks without considering how it's going to effect the other person. Up until this past summer, Cody was pretty fearless. But the fire messed him up. Now, everything scares him. It's heartbreaking, really.

Marco. Oh, the things I could say about him. He's got these dark eyes, that melt your heart...or at least, melt mine. His smile takes away the fear and pain, and his laugh...Anyway. Marco is the joker of our mosh posh gang. He brings the laughter and light. Even when we're pissed or whatever, he gets everyone laughing. He's really easy going too. I guess that comes with his motto of "better to laugh than not to laugh," or whatever. We've been dating since Freshman year. He's sort of my knight in shining tinfoil. Or a diamond in the rough. Who knows. I love him, that's what matters. Even though he can get on my nerves sometimes...

"Earth to Kaylee, do you read?" Marco joked, giving me a gentle shake.

"Sorry, daydreaming," I smiled. I looked around, and for the first time, realized we were standing in the middle of the abandoned construction site. I looked around slowly, then realized that Cody had stopped walking.

"Cody," I said softly, breaking away from Marco's protective, safe embrace. For the first time since the fire, I shared my brother's fear. I went to his side and wrapped my arm's around his thin shoulders, shocked by how still he stood. His once bright eyes, now dim, lifeless, frightened. It broke my heart to realize how tormented he was.

"Look," he whispered, raising a single finger to point into the sky.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Jake hissed, pushing Cassie behind him. We all looked at the darkening sky. At first glance, everything looked normal. The sun was setting on the horizon, light clouds shined from the sun's bright rays. But if you looked a little harder, you could see it, whatever _it_ was.

"Cody, move, move, move!" I barked, slamming into him. He didn't budge at first. His look of fear changed to that of curiosity. In the back of my mind, I was cursing him for suddenly growing a pair. "Now!" I screamed, pulling at his arm.

Jake, who was dragging Cassie with him, pushed Cody, much to my relief. Within a few tangled seconds, we were all hidden behind a long, hallow pipe. I think Tobias and Cody were mesmerized by whatever it was. I, on the other hand, was terrified.

"Anyone else getting the Star-Trek vibe?" Marco joked.

"Not funny," I hissed bitterly.

Despite our own fears, none of us could tear our eyes off the falling...thing? Aircraft? Spaceship? What in the name of hell was that thing?

It was small, bluish. Not very impressive looking. But it was still...not normal? Not something you see everyday, to say the least.

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore," Cody laughed. I threw a disgusted look at him. "What?"

"You're afraid of your shadow, but not a frigging spaceship?" I growled.

"Right," Cody nodded. He and Tobias shared a grin before looking back at the approaching ship.

"Do you think it saw us?" Cassie asked softly. She was gripping Jake's hand so tightly, I was surprised she didn't break it.

"Probably," Marco said sarcastically.

"No, I don't think so," Jake said quickly. His expression, on the other hand, showed an entirely different opinion.

_You're just having a really, really bad dream. You're going to wake up, and you're going to laugh at yourself for even thinking, for a moment, any of this is real, _I thought. _Because come on, this isn't real. You're on drugs, or something. You've got to me. _

The...the ship landed a few yards away from us, with an almost silent thud. We all peeked over the pipe to get our first real look at the...frigging aircraft! It was like a freaking star-trek spaceship thing! For once in my life, I wished I had payed attention when Star-Trek was on television. Or at least watched a few alien movies. Because right in frigging front of us, sat a flying freaking saucer!


	3. Chapter 3

"Should we try to talk to it?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow. For a whole moment, I thought she was serious.

"Yeah," Tobias nodded, overly excited about this whole thing. I shook my head before standing up, my legs cramping from the awkward position.

"Where are you going?" Marco asked as I turned to walk away.

"Home. You know, that nice hotel room, where there's a bed, and oh, you know, not a freaking spaceship," I muttered.

"Stay, please?" Cody asked, catching my arm as I moved to walk away.

"I feel like we're in the Twilight Zone," Jake muttered. He looked over at me and shrugged.

"Whatever," I grunted. I moved beside Tobias, watching as he stepped forward, hands held out in front of him.

"It's safe," he said softly, though his voice seemed to travel across the entire construction site. "We won't hurt you."

"You think it speaks English?" Cassie asked.

"Everyone speaks English on Star Trek," Marco shrugged, flashing that goofy grin of his.

"Please come out? We won't hurt you," Tobias tried again.

I know.

I looked around, completely taken by surprise. By the looks of those closest to me, I could tell they had heard it too.

"I'm not the only one that heard that, right?" Tobias asked nervously.

"Heard isn't the right word," I muttered. I was tired of the games. I stepped forward, my hands out in front of me, my heart racing in my chest.

"Can you come out?" I asked, trying my hardest to keep my voice steady. I felt Marco's arm lock around my waist. I didn't spare a glance.

Yes. Don't be frightened, it said. Or didn't say, really.

The door opened. A dim, yet blinding light glowed from the open space. Gasping, I turned into Marco's chest, shielding my eyes. As a general rule, when someone tells you not to be scared, chances are, you're going to be terrified. I'd seen enough horror movies to have every possible monster known to man flashing in my mind.

As the light dimmed, I turned again, this time, only to see what looked like a cross between a deer and a man. And a snail. The...the thing had no mouth, only three vertical slits. It had two eyes on it's face, like a human, but also had two stalk-like eyes – making it looks like a snail stuck in a human's head. It's eyes were a shocking, neon green color. It's fur, a bluish hue. It had the torso of a human, the body of a deer. After a few heart stopping seconds, I noticed the tail. It was thick and powerful. Bladed, almost resembling that of a scorpion.

After the initial shock wore off, in the matter of seconds, though they felt like years, I found myself oddly comforted by the strange alien's presence. I watched as Cody's entire body relaxed, a smile crossing his face. He took the first step towards the creature, his eyes glossy, almost as if he was stuck in a memory. A very fond, very sweet memory.

"Hello," he said gently, like he was talking to a newborn foal.

Hello it said, in a way that made little sense. He was silent, yet we all heard what he said. In our heads.

"Hey," we all said softly, in the same tone.

Tobias and Cody were standing closest to the alien when he shuddered, his legs giving way beneath him. They both made their best effort to catch him, but he slipped from their grasps, landing on the dirt with a soft, nearly silent thud.

The movement reminded me of a down horse. Your first instinct is to step forward. Then you remember that even floored, the creature was dangerous. It's hooves alone could kill you. In this case, the tail was the scary part. A wounded horse I could deal with, a wounded alien? Not so much.

I spaced out after that. My mind was caught between a dream and reality. I moved with the rest of the group, moreso because Marco's arm was still wrapped around me, in that protective, everything's going to be okay sort of way. It wasn't until later, that I realized they had waited. Waited until I snapped back to them, before carrying on with the important details.

I had snapped back to real time as the alien was telling my friends about the Yeerks. The way he described them, made me picture a slug. A parasitic, mind controlling slug. It didn't make sense, not really. What would a slug-like alien race want with Humans?

...You will place your hands on the side of the box it continued. It...the Andalite. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that. I had been silently listening, but not really taking in any of what he was saying. I was stuck on the whole Alien invasion part of the lecture. Everything else sort of went in one ear, out the other.

I know that you are young. I know that you have no power with which to resist the Controllers. But I may be able to give you some small powers that may help. Powers no human has ever had.

We all looked at one another, trying to absorb what he was saying. Powers? What are we, ten? This didn't make an ounce of sense, not until much, much later. Tobias and Cody were standing with giddy looks on their faces. Had it been under any other circumstance, I would have slapped them. Or mashed their heads together. Whichever came first.

"What kind of powers?" Jake finally asked, taking charge of the situation. His eyes were locked on the blue box in the Andalite's hands.

It is a piece of Andalite technology that the Yeerks do not have, that no other race in the universe has, he explained. A technology that enables us to pass undetected in many parts of the universe - the power to morph. We don't share this technology with anyone. But it's your only shot.

"Morph?" Rachel asked quizzically.

"What does that even mean?" I asked softly. The first real thing I said the entire time.

To change your bodies, the Andalite said. To become any other species. Any animal. All you need to do is touch a creature. That will allow you to acquire its DNA. Then you will be able to become that creature. Nothing is too big or too small. Too complex, too simple. This require concentration and strength, but if you are strong...determined, you will be able to do it. There are, however, limitations. Dangers, really. But there is no time to explain it all...not enough time to...You will have to learn on your own. Do you wish to receive this power?

"He's kidding, right?" Marco asked Jake. His eyes were showing nothing but disbelief. Doubt.

"No," Cody said softly. His eyes were glowing with anticipation. "He's not kidding."

We all looked at him. Him and Tobias. They seemed way too eager to jump into the unknown. Which wasn't entirely surprising, but it was out of character nonetheless. For Cody at least. Tobias, well Tobias was strange to begin with.

"This is insane," Marco said, shaking his head. "This entire thing is insane. Yeerks? Spaceships? Slugs taking over people's brains? Andalites and the power to change into animals? Am I the only one who's having a hard time believing any of this?"

"If I wasn't standing right here, looking straight into the face of a dying...Anda...whatever, I wouldn't believe it either," I murmured. I looked at the strange alien before us, my heart breaking at the fact that he was dying. He wasn't going to get out of here alive. "May I?" I asked, kneeling next to him. It was a knee jerk reaction. He nodded his head, ever so slightly. I closed my eyes as I laid a hand on his warm, blue fur. I just sat there, letting my mind clear, letting my thoughts wander. Then I saw it. The most beautiful, amazing thing I'd ever seen. I felt a smile cross my lips as I raised my hand from his fur. I couldn't...no, I had to keep it to myself.

"Thank you," I whispered.

You're welcome.

"Are you done?" Marco asked, yanking me away. I looked up at him, my eyes wide.

"Sorry," I muttered, getting up. "And don't be rough with me," I added, throwing him a dirty look. Marco sometimes forgot that he was a lot stronger than I was.

"What's that?" Rachel asked, catching all of our attentions. Up in the sky, two little red dots were approaching. From where we stood, they looked like red, hot stars.

Yeerks The Andalite said. Or thought, I guess. Either way, we could all sense how deeply embedded his hate for the alien race was.

"What?" we all asked, in an eerie unison.

There's no time! You must decide! Now! the alien roared into our minds.

"We have to," Tobias said, his mind made up.

"We're the only ones who can," Cody agreed.

"This is insane," Marco grumbled.

"I wish there was more time," Rachel said slowly. "But I'm in."

"I'd rather not die today," I shrugged. "Become whatever animal we touch? Save the world? Why not?"

"What do you say, Jake?" Cassie asked. We all turned to look at him, all except Tobias, who never took his eyes off the alien.

"I...," Jake looked over at Tobias, who nodded his head once.

"We have to," he said carefully.

"He's right," Jake said with a sigh. "We have to."

Each of you place your hand on a side of the box the Andalite said. Do not be afraid

The box glowed bright blue, a shockwave shooting up our spines. I felt dizzy, like the world was turning into a huge tilt-a-whirl.

Now go! he shouted into our minds. Remember this - never remain in animal form for more

than two of your Earth hours. Never! That is the greatest danger of the morphing! If you stay

more than two hours you will be trapped. Never to return to human form.

We all nodded, breaking away from the Andalite and his magic morphing cube.

Whatever happened next, is a mystery to me. All I remember is Cody letting out a shrill cry and taking off. Instinct overtook as I ran after him, my heart racing in my chest, my vision blurred. I followed his footsteps until I couldn't run any longer. My legs gave way. I, thankfully, fell beside a downed drainpipe. I crawled behind it, shaking like a leaf, gasping for air.

The last conscious memory I had, was the Andalite saying Visser Three

* * *

"She's coming around," I heard someone say. I felt hands pressing against my cheek. Cool...cold hands.

"Mmmm," I groaned, trying to open my eyes. I was exhausted. Physically and mentally drained. Any other day, I would have just rolled over and went back to sleep. But this wasn't your ordinary day. No. Today, we saw aliens, obtained the power to morph, and god only knows what else.

"Is it over?" I asked, slowly opening my eyes. Cassie smiled down at me, a look of concern on her face.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"He's..." I let the question fall short.

"Yeah," she said again. I felt strong arms help me sit up. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Marco.

"Cody?" I asked, shifting my weight so I could look around.

"Jake caught up with him," Cassie said reassuringly. "They're both fine."

"So, what did I miss?" I asked as that sank in.

"A lot. We'll fill you in later," she said with a soft smile. "Right now, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three, and I didn't hit my head," I grumbled. I stood up carefully, testing my own balance. I swayed at first, but my feet finally decided to listen to the rest of my body.

"Here they come," Tobias observed. He still had that star-struck look on his face. If I had been paying more attention, maybe I could have connected the dots.

"Cody, I should kill you, right now, you know that?" I growled, stomping towards him.

"Shut up," he shrugged before cracking his typical, yet so uncommon grin. It'd been months since I saw him smile so wide.

Instead of getting mad, I slapped him upside the forehead, before turning back around. "What time is it?" I asked. Everyone looked confused for a moment, before Tobias finally pulled out his cell phone.

"8:30," he said. "Why?"

"Shit!" I yelped. I spun around and grabbed Cody's shoulders. "You have to re-reserve our hotel room by 10. I have to get to work, I'm already late!"

"You're off tonight, remember?" Marco offered.

"Callie called off. Said she had some meeting to go to. The Sharing, I think? Anyway, I said I'd cover her shift, which started half an hour ago!" I shook my head. "Keys?"

"The car's at Rachel's," Cody reminded me.

"I'll run," I shrugged. Marco tossed me the keys, and before he could say anything else, I was running through the construction site, tripping over stray pieces of metal. For the first time in my entire life, I was grateful that I'd been on the track team since Freshman year. I wasn't the fastest person in the world, but at least I could get around easily.

I reached the car in under 5 minutes. _A new record, _I thought tiredly. As soon as I was inside the comforts of my car, I took a moment to gather my thoughts. We were freaking kids. We shouldn't be even thinking about fighting a war, let alone one between two alien races!

_Maybe it was just a dream, _I thought as I pulled away from the curb, my Impala's soft purr easing the tension from my bones. _Just a really, really fucked up dream. _

* * *

A/N - I actually hated writing this chapter, only because I had to shorten and "black out" a lot of the conversations, because as we all know, we can't copy text word for word. Because of that, I wanted to skip past the Visser Three/Elfangor scene. I'm not ready to throw myself into Visser Three's head just yet. (or would it be vise versa? Hmmmm) Anyway, thanks for reading guys!


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